Answers To Reader Questions: Post No. 3

I was actually supposed to do this a week ago, but I forgot and only remembered after I'd posted last Saturday. Sorry, everyone!

Emily Rose asked:

Do you plan to home school until college? Are you taking college courses at the moment?


Yes, and no. I do plan on being homeschooled until college, unless we move to a district with really good schools or something like that, which is highly unlikely. And I'm not taking any college courses at the moment, though I have done (and am currently doing) some programs at Learner.org.

(SOURCE)

Got any other questions, bloggers?


(I really do like answering them. :) And it gives me material to post about on Saturdays for NaBloWriMo.)


-----The Golden Eagle

If You Don't See Me As Much As Usual This Week, Here Is Why:

I will be doing this 15 (yes, 15! I counted them) times this week. And I'm hoping not to get results such as:

Plus:

Which naturally leads to:

(SOURCE)

(It doesn't feel like the end of the year! Shouldn't there be . . . you know . . . two more months or something?)

Anyway. So, busy times, bloggers! I'll be in the blogosphere, but probably not as much as usual.

Have a great week!


-----The Golden Eagle

The Answers To Your Questions

Last week was my blogoversary, and I decided to celebrate by having readers ask me questions--so here are my answers!

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Jemi Fraser:

What's the best book you've read this year?


I have a lot of trouble picking favorites . . . especially when it comes to books. But one really good Young Adult Science Fiction novel I read was Cherry Heaven by L. J. Adlington. The plot, setting, and characters were fantastic.

The Words Crafter:

How in the world do you make it around to comment on so many blogs every day?

I don't use Google Reader, that's for sure. Despite all the support it's been getting recently with all the Crusading, (Rachael Harrie wrote a very helpful post on it--I was completely befuddled before and now I know how it works) I really don't like it. Most of the time I look through posts on the Dashboard, working my way through a certain number of hours or skimming to see if certain bloggers have posted. Or I just use my blogroll.

Deniz Bevan:

Did you see that post TH Mafi did the other day of her daily schedule? What's your schedule like?


No, I didn't see the post--but as for my schedule, it's get up, eat breakfast, schoolwork, writing, schoolwork, maybe some more writing if there's time, lunch, the homeschooling equivalent of P.E., blogging, writing, and I've got dance on Wednesdays. Also, the schedule changes a lot as new things crop up.


(By schoolwork I mean all the subjects I cover in homeschooling. Math, science, history/social studies, language, English, etc. . . .)

Edith F.:

What is your favorite flavor of toothpaste?

Well, it's not mint. (I hate mint.) Most of the time I'm forced to use it simply because it's one of the few flavors that's out there, but if I could choose my favorite is probably cherry. (Hey, it tastes good at the dentist's.)

Ali:

What do you like best about blogging?

Posting and reading comments. :)


And/or What is your favorite lesson you've learned through blogging?

Think before you speak!

Janet Johnson:

What has helped you the most with writing?


Besides a keyboard and word processor, one of the things that has helped me the most is discovering all the information out there online. Before I started reading about writing, I had no idea what a character arc was, how to write a first chapter, the difference between showing and telling, things about publishers and agents and the whole getting-the-book-onto-the-shelf business--a lot of the details that can make a huge amount of difference.

Nicki Elson:

What have you learned about blogging that you wish you would've known in the first month?


People actually read what you're posting, even if your blog is relatively small. (As mine was for a while after I started blogging.) I probably wouldn't have said some of the things I said if I had thought about that . . . I don't object to some controversy, but I get the impulse to delete some of my previous posts whenever I look back and read them.

Sangu:

What's been the most challenging part about blogging for you?


Networking! It takes a lot of time and some energy to get around to all those blogs. But it's also fun. :)

Alison:

Has reading all these blogs and author interviews/guest posts, etc made you want to try your hand at writing?


Nope! I was writing even when I didn't know people blogged about it--probably because I hadn't read the horror stories at that point. LOL.


Just kidding about the horror stories (although I have read some unfortunate occurrences with the publishing process especially) but I have been churning out words for a while.

Have you had a blogging slump? If so, how did you push past it.


Writing, and getting outside. Exercise helps me think a lot of time.

Arlee Bird:

Now that you know about establishing a platform with your blog do you feel like you are doing that?


Yes, I do. I feel like I've got a substantial platform (400+ is a whole lot more than I ever expected) and I try to increase it with the Crusades and other events like that--including the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Still trying to get around to all the bloggers participating!


Oh! And also, Old Kitty and L'Aussie both wondered what the "cbox" I mentioned in my post is. It's the green chatbox-thing on my right sidebar, beneath my button and the Crusader mention. Across from the "Need A Button?" text. People can leave messages and chat in it, if there are other bloggers on at the same time. (Which you can tell by the little black-and-red icon above.)

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Thank you all for asking questions! It was a lot of fun answering them, and I hope you enjoyed the post.

Is there anything else you bloggers would like to know about me? :)

-----The Golden Eagle

The Answer! (Plus: Award, and Other Miscellany)

The moment has arrived! I shall now reveal who exactly the kind of person it is in the Through the Keyhole Blogfest entry I posted on Monday.

First off, most of you who guessed said that you thought it was a male widow.

Partly right, although not completely. I wasn't aiming for anything so tragic.

He--and yes, it is a he, you were right on the gender!--is a traveling writer, doing research for his book, going to conventions/meetings, and the computer is what he writes on; the CD-RW has his files burned onto it. The green string is indeed a luggage tag, a remnant of his last trip to the airport. The picture of the couple is an image of him and his wife, but they're not divorced/separated, and there's no sorrowful backstory--he's just traveling abroad, while his wife stays home. They're a happy couple. :) The picture is a reminder . . .

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Now, L'Aussie awarded me the Fair Dinkum Award.

So, I'd like to give L'Aussie a big THANK YOU! and  *hug* for awarding me. :) It is much appreciated!

Me being American, I'd never heard of a Fair Dinkum before--L'Aussie apparently anticipated that, and told the award-ees to guess what they thought a Fair Dinkum was. (Read my comment HERE.) Hopefully, I got it at least somewhat right. :P

I also get to pass it on, too, and here are the people I'm awarding next with the Fair Dinkum Award (trying to be sure that no one's nabbed 'em before me . . . LOL):

Robyn Campbell
Brian
Sangu Mandanna
Madeleine
Dominic de Mattos

. . . and there are many others out there--Blogger seems to be a Fair Dinkum melting pot!

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Have you heard that the US Department of the Interior wants to strip Northern Rocky Mountain wolves of their Endangered Species status?

Now, look: I have absolutely nothing against saying that they're not on the brink of extinction. Hooray for that, actually. But LET'S NOT HUNT THE WOLVES. Please. If they're going to take wolves off the list, DON'T let them be hunted back onto it!

Remember what happened last time the wolves were killed, and there weren't enough of them out there? The ecosystem collapsed. Deer populations, (which are still issues in some parts of the country) went wild, eating, then starving themselves out as they ate everything, killing their food supplies due to lack of control by predators. We NEED the predators!

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You know that site that's been circulating for the past few days, every since Jen posted that awesome interview with Miranda Dickinson? Authonomy.com, set up by Harper Collins? It sound like an awesome site, and a good opportunity for getting your work out there. Publishers, agents, and other people like that will be able to read it, and you get exposure. People get to read your books and comment on them. Publishers have actually published works by the authors there.

Well, apparently you can't use it unless you're over 18.

*sigh* I don't happen to be over 18, which means that option's out the window. What's with the rule, anyway? Doesn't make sense to me.

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You may have noticed that I took down the Other Blogs page I had up, with all you bloggers' buttons. I don't hate your buttons--in fact, many of them are quite nice, and I make those kind of images myself--but the format was acting up giving me tons of white space, and it's easier to just add people to the blogroll on my sidebar. So, if you were on the Other Blogs page, rest assured that you are on the blogroll. :)

(I might set up one of the moving, repeating sequences of buttons, if I can figure out how . . . or I may just put up the page again in the future.)

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It snowed ALL DAY yesterday. Non-stop. There are several inches on the ground right now, and it's supposed to snow more this week--hooray! Not that I get snow days, being homeschooled and all . . . but it's the symbolic aspect. Plus, I love snow.


-----The Golden Eagle

Eh. {What Else Is There To Say?}

DARN IT.

I wrote a nice, long, miscellaneous post and BLOGGER DELETED IT. It said "Conflicting Edits" and said "Please hit the back button on you browser."

So I did.

AND I FOUND OUT IT DELETED THE WHOLE DARN THING.

*sighs*

Okay then. Well, I'll just try writing it again, although it's not going to be as great as the first one.

*****

Right.

How is your Labor Day going?

Good? So-so? Not on holiday? Irritated the the banks are getting another free day to make some profit?

I've been mowing the lawn, writing, reading Foundation (very interesting and complicated; except: no women! GAH!), blogging, and generally whiling away the day.

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You know that swamp I mentioned yesterday? Well, it's there because they couldn't build on the wetlands. Also, there's an issue with some toxic waste that they say doesn't harm anything, but they still can't build on it--I don't get that. I'm assuming it's doing damage somewhere.

But anyway. There's this set of stairs that go up high and you can look over the swamp and basically have a good time watching green gloop move with the breeze and the occasional duck dip its head into the green gloop.

Very fun.

Actually, I just liked getting an aerial view (Hello! Eagle here!) and climbing. I love climbing things, and have been since I was little. (I used to crawl out of cribs and bang my head against the bars if I couldn't get out. I also used to jump a lot. In fact, I still jump a lot.)

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Has it been cold recently? It has been here. 40-50s at night, 60s during the day. In the beginning of September! Sheesh. It's not fall yet, folks.

But I don't really mind all that much. I like cooler temperatures, and fall is my favorite season. Did you know that the foliage is changing quicker and earlier than in normal years? Yup, it's true. It's not quite that obvious here, but apparently farther north (Northeast, Canada, etc.) the leaves are changing.

I've spotted a few dark-orange trees . . . but nothing like the color explosion that occurs later in the year. It's very vibrant when that happens.

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I'd better go write that review of Prophecy of the Sisters. I said I'd post that today . . .

-----The Golden Eagle

Homeschooling

I'm glad I'm homeschooled for several reasons. One is, I'm home most of the day. Another is that I have more leverage over what material is covered, and I'm also taught by my mom, which is definitely preferable. I also don't have to deal with popularity contests and such. Drawbacks? I don't get out as much, and I have to excercise by walking, running, ect.

Right now, I'm really interested in the Math/Science and Social Studies that I'm doing, which include physics and the Middle East.